With pads coming on, Rams will move one step closer to 'playing real football' Monday

USA Today

6 days ago

Let the real competition commence
Today is a big day for the Los Angeles Rams. Matthew Stafford, unfortunately, isn't returning to practice as expected, but they'll welcome something else to their fifth session at Loyola Marymount University: pads.
After four days of practice without pads, the Rams will officially put them on today and ratchet up the intensity. There won't be live tackling, of course, but practice will be more physical, particularly at the line of scrimmage and on running plays.
Defenders will be 'thud' tackling without bringing ball carriers to the ground, which will give everyone a better idea of how things look on both offense and defense. Sean McVay is excited about the pads coming on because it'll be closer to 'playing real football.'
'We just finished up our five-day acclimation period,' he said Saturday. 'I think guys are competing. I think it'll be good to be able to put the pads on to be able to add some different schemes that are more in alignment with playing real football.'
The team will still try to guard against injuries in these practices, particularly with players wearing Guardian Caps, but they will be allowed to play more physically like they would in a game or a joint practice with another team. Defensive backs can attack the ball more in coverage, linebackers can hit running backs in the hole and front-seven defenders can utilize more of their pass-rush moves against linemen.
There's still a long way to go before the season begins but putting on the pads is an important step in training camp. It's when the competition really heats up.